County Might Fire Jail-project Contractor

May 11, 1992|By Andrew Fegelman.

Cook County`s beleaguered jail-construction project is headed for more troubles this week, with some officials predicting the county will be forced to fire the contractor to get the $45 million job completed.

County officials have been negotiating for several weeks with the builder of the jail expansion, Federal Street Construction, to fix the flaws that have plagued the project. Those problems have put the project, the 750-bed Division 10, about a year behind schedule.

But officials said the county is still dissatisfied with the progress the contractor has made to rectify the problems and the only solution appears to be hiring a new firm to fix the flaws.

Ultimately, some officials said, the dispute is expected to be resolved in court.

That the dispute between Federal Street and the county was reaching a head became apparent last week when the county, representatives of the state`s attorney`s office, and an outside attorney hired by the County Board met with Seaboard Surety Co. to determine the county`s next move. Seaboard holds the construction bond on the project, the county`s protection against any problems with the contractor.

In addition, confusion reigned at the job site Friday when some crews showing up for work were sent home after being told the project had been shut down.

Sheriff`s deputies had been posted at the site to bar entry, but county officials later said the deputies were there only to provide security.

``We still believe that it may be possible to work it out at this time,`` said David Schaffer, deputy chief of the public interest bureau for the state`s attorney`s office.

Schaffer said he expected a decision Monday on what the next step would be but declined to comment on whether Federal Street would be replaced.

County officials have insisted resolving the problems won`t cost taxpayers another dime. More worrisome, they say, is what the troubles mean for finishing the facility.

The project originally had been projected to be completed by last summer. County officials now project a completion date of fall at the earliest.

The project is the second of a three-phase plan to expand County Jail to relieve the overcrowding at the facility. The additions were prompted by a federal court order to eliminate overcrowding in a jail that houses some 2,500 more inmates than it was built to hold.

Because of the squeeze, the addition called Division 10 had been put on a fast track.

The problems with the addition, which has been referred to by County Board President Richard Phelan as one of the worst executed projects by the county, first became apparent late last year.

Cracks appeared in the concrete floor, and the floor was separating from its base, creating air pockets.

Work crews tried to fix the problem by pumping in epoxy to bond the floors and fill the cracks. But that solution only created new problems that could mean the floor in the four-story building will have to be removed and replaced.

As a result, sources said, the floors are full of hollow spots, which might make perfect places for prisoners to hide contraband or weapons.

The epoxy began spreading into the electrical conduit, impairing the ability to make future repairs and creating a situation that violates city building codes.

And when workers ground down the epoxy to smooth out the floors, the dust blew into electrical switches and locks, raising concerns about their reliability.

In recent weeks, workers have laid tile in some areas and installed a ruberized floor in the gymnasium.